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Ren Yi Hooi

Lightning Reach: matching people in need with grants and support

  • Founded 2020
  • 150,000+ users
  • £10m+ in support reached

About

Ren Yi Hooi founded Lightning Reach in West Sussex in 2020. Working in fintech and financial inclusion, she saw that people struggling with money often did not know what help existed or were put off by complicated forms. Users fill in one profile and are instantly matched to grants, benefits and support schemes they can apply for in one place.

Lightning Reach has more than 150,000 registered users and has helped vulnerable households access over £10m. It has grants from Innovate UK and Nesta and pre-seed funding from Techstars, and partners include OVO Energy, E.ON Next, The Royal British Legion, Lloyds Banking Group and TSB.

Number 34 on the Startups 100 Index 2026.